Superwoman
Superwoman is a relatively new costumed heroine in the New York City area, who has chosen to wear the colors and symbol of Superman, honoring his quest to protect the world and seeking to support it. Karsta Wor-Ul was a high-ranking Kryptonian naval officer generations ago, and a bit over a hundred years ago she was serving as a space pirate. Little has been heard of her publicly since that time. Kristen Wells is a private security consultant of a formidable reputation with many high-powered, wealthy clients. They claim the woman can work miracles.... Background Centuries ago, the Kryptonian Empire was at the height of its power. Generations before the time of Jor-El, in those days the planet's Military Council held more power than the Science Council, and the Military Council was commanded by Admiral Dru-Zod (the ancestor and namesake of the later General Dru-Zod of Krypton's military). Krypton's military might spread across many neighboring star systems, and its people were already living in a golden age that knew little of want. Their technology was so advanced that the people usually lived very long lives. It seemed nothing could stand in the way of Krypton's hand, reaching across the stars. Karsta Wor-Ul was an officer in the Kryptonian spacefaring navy, serving as a sub-commander of the military, third in line below Dru-Zod. Karsta was in charge of peacekeeping forces over the Possession Worlds, held under Krypton's control. Karsta's mother had died in an accident when the girl was still small, so the child was raised entirely by her father, Wor-Ul, a scientist. She was brought up with great curiosity, her natural intelligence nurtured, and showed an early knack for technology. However, the allure of the stars was greater than her love of computers and machines, and when Karsta came of age she chose to join the Kryptonian navy. She served first as a basic tech officer, later a medical tech, and ended up in charge of the medical bay on a Kryptonian capital ship due to a field promotion. In time, Karsta came to command her own ship, then gained the attentions of the admiral himself, gaining her post in the Possession Worlds. Her father was saddened to see that his daughter gave her alleigance to the military, but he respected her choice. They remained close, even as she rose through the ranks and became a third-tier sub-commander of the navy. Karsta's duties dissolved from beneath her, though, when Bav Sor-El and the Science Council convinced the people of Krypton that their imperial ways were immoral and destructive. The military lost power, and the Possession Worlds were given back their autonomy. Karsta, embittered by having been stripped of her power, joined a group of other officers and chose instead to flee. It was a decision she would come to regret for most of her life.. The group of deserters discovered their powers by the detonation of a solar energy grenade. Between this small measure of power and the use of their mechanized battle suits, they were able to escape to a space-based canteen. Unfortunately, they ran into an ambush -- Kryptonian soldiers armed with weapons designed to take them down. Some surrendered and returned to face the judgment of the Science Council, some were killed. Karsta and a few others escaped, stealing a starship and blasting away into space. Their ship was damaged, though, and they lost control, flying too close to a spatial anomaly. The wormhole pulled them in, and they were lost to time and space. For the crew, a few seconds passed -- for the rest of the universe, centuries When they emerged, their systems were severely damaged. More of them were dead. The survivors launched themselves in the ship's lifepods, scattering. She assumed that most of the others were killed, for her life support systems were nearly failing when Karsta was found. She was picked up by a pirate crew, and Karsta found herself joining them, once again putting her naval skills to good use. She kept their computers running, acted as a medic when she had to. Her experience grew, and she learned much about living a hard life, rather than being the one in power over the weak. It was a humbling lesson, but she came to realize all she had given up by leaving Krypton... especially when she learned it had gone into complete isolation, and few even knew how to find it, anymore. She knew she could not go home again. In time, another Kryptonian deserter joined the pirates. This man, Ro-Kul, was an old acquaintance of Karsta's, and they developed a fast friendship. As the years passed, their connection grew stronger, deepening into love. When they had squared their debts with the pirates and amassed some resources of their own, the two left that life. They picked up what they needed, then built a home in the Interstellar Gulf. They lived together there for over a century, the energy of nearby G-type yellow stars granting them great powers. Karsta developed quite a cache of Kryptonian technology, originating with bits she had stolen during her time as a pirate, and they lived quite comfortably, even having sufficient medical technology to ensure that they hardly aged at all. Everything changed, though, when a new pirate came seeking them. They had been doing a supply run in the spacecraft Karsta had built for them, and they returned to find the pirate -- Amalak -- waiting for them. Amalak, it seemed, had sworn to kill all Kryptonians. They fled, but in Ro-Kul was killed by Amalak's weapons, which strangely held the power to harm the Kryptonians, even with their star-granted powers. Karsta made it to their ship and escaped. Her grief was only beginning, though, for as she skulked her way across various worlds, hiding her identity and her nature, she learned that Krypton had been destroyed. She believed herself the last of her race, resigning herself to a life of anonymity and empty grief. At the least, she would survive. Then, Karsta learned of Superman -- Kal-El of Krypton, alive and living on the planet Earth. She traveled there, surmising that if Kal-El could survive so openly on Earth, then perhaps she could as well. She hid her ship near the planet, then traveled down to the surface to integrate into the society. For the past few years, she has made a life for herself on the planet as Kristen Wells, biding her time before revealing her true nature. Karsta's Kryptonian heritage, though, could not be hidden forever, and she eventually encountered Kal-El.... Category:Features Category:Hero Category:Alien Category:Available